Music-leaf turner.



H. J. BAILEY.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6. 1914.

Patented Mar. 20,

ATTORNEYS HERBERT JOHN BAILEY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Application filed October 6, 1914. Serial No. 865,235.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT JOHN BATLEY. a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Trenton, in the county of Mer- 5 cer and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and improved Music-Leaf Turner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to musical instru- 1 ments and has particular reference to devices i olding and automatically turning the leaves of sheet music.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a construction of the simplest character and adapted to be secured either upon a music rack of ordinary nature or upon a piano casing or other stationary support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means of the character set forth which will hold the music leaves securely and yet not damage the same.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improvement shown as attached to a common form of tripod music rack;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improvement; and

Figs. 3, 4: and 5 are vertical. transverse sec- 5 tions on the corres )ondin lines of Fi 2.

The several parts of this device may be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully described and specifically claimed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I show a main body 10 which carries the operating parts and constitutes the main member of a clamp adapted to secure the device detachably to any desired object. The other member of the clamp is shown as a substantially flat plate 11 cooperating with the upper surface of the body 10, and a screw or bolt 12 rigidly connected at its head 12 to the plate 11 passes downwardly through the body whereby, through the action of a winged nut 13 or the equivalent, the plate 11 is caused to approach the body and grip securely the flange 14.- of the music rack as indicated.

This device is preferably locked or gripped to the flanges 14 of the two wing portions of the music rack substantially at the center of the music rack, the bolt 12, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, coming between the adjacent ends of the flanges 14, and by the action of the clamp members the music rack is stiffened and made more substantial for the purposes for which it is intended. Obviously the clamp members 10 and 11 may be separated as far as necessary so as to engage the projecting lip or flange of any suitable stationary object such, for instance, as the music rail of a piano or the like.

The front face of the main body 10 is rabbeted so that a step is formed at the lower portion which projects forwardly beyond the upper portion thereof; upon this step and to the rear of the plane of the vertical face of said step is mounted the operating mechanism of the device.

Each leaf or page of music, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 at 15, is adapted to be placed upon and carried by an arm 16 mounted upon a. substantially vertical pivot 17 mounted on the step of the body 10 and movable around the said pivot through an angle of substantially 180 degrees. To each of the arms is secured a peculiar form of clip 18 shown best in detail in Fig. 5. Each of these clips is composed preferably of sheet spring metal. of a suitable width and looped to embrace the arm 16. The free ends of the strip of metal are of different lengths and are adjusted close together just above the edge of the arm 16, the longer end or finger being in the rear or adjacent the rear surface of the sheet support therein. A screw 19 or its equivalent cooperates with the two finger portions of the clip to cause the clip to grip the arm at any desired distance from the pivot 17 and also to vary the width or gripping effect of the space between the two fingers above the screw. As above promised, the clips 18 may be set at any desired distance apart or at varying distances from the pivot 1.7, depending upon the size or character of the music sheets.-

In preparing the device for turning the music, the arms 16 are swung toward the right and each of them is there held by means of a trigger 20 of a nature shown best in Fig. 3. Each trigger is locked in the body 10 by means of a screw 21 acting up wardly from the bottom of the body through a hole 22. The trigger member projects thence forwardly through a recess or notch The rear end of the trigger is set rigidly in the rear end of the notch where it is locked by the screw 21, and the front portion of the notch is flared downwardly so as to provide free space for the finger piece or front end of the trigger to operate clownwardly. The shank of the trigger constitutes a comparatively thin spring so as to permit suflicient flexibility to allow the catch or shoulder 25 thereof to engage over a wing .26 constituting a portion. of the arnr along its lower edge adjacent the pivot. A spring 27 of any suitable nature, but indicated as a coil spring wound around the pivot 17, tends to cause each arm to swing toward the left when released from the shoulder 25 of the trigger upon the depression of the front portion of the trigger. lVhen the arms 16 are swung toward the right, however, the wing portions 26 thereof slide over the shoulders 25 and the triggers catch automatically to hold the arms at the right hand side with the springs under tension.

Obviously any desired number of these pivoted or swinging arms 16 may be employed, but by way of illustration 1 show two thereof. These arms are arranged to swing in substantially the same plane, or, in other words, the upper edges of the arms move in the same plane. The trigger mechanisms, however, are arranged in planes one slightly above the other so as to insure that the trigger at the left, or pertaining to the arm in front of the other, will not obstruct nor interfere witl the free swinging movement of the rearmost arm. In other words, when the parts are arranged and set in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the trigger at the left is adapted to be depressed to release the first arm, allowing it to swing around to the left, the other arm remaining in the position shown until its trigger is subsequently depressed. When the latter mentioned trigger is depressed, the arm held thereby will be released and the wing 26 thereof will swing'freely over the left hand trigger. Obviously then the left hand trigger will not interfere with the free swinging movement of the rearmost arm around to the right.

To the arms 16 are connected as many stiff standards 28 as may be desired. These standards lie in the rear of the music leaves and hence constitute the main supports therefor in holding the music leaves or causing them to swing around. These standards are preferably pivoted at 29 to the arms so as to be moved into substantial alinement with the arms for the purpose of folding up the device for transportation. These standards, furthermore, are preferably made of celluloid or other transparent material so as not to interfere with the reading of the music upon the turned page.

Having thus described my invention, I laim as new and desire to secure by Letters i1t6I1dI- I 1. A music leaf turner comprising a main body portion or support having a rabbeted front face forming a step at its lower end, leaf carrying arms pivoted at one end on vertical pivots mounted on said step, the pivots being in the same vertical plane but to the rear of the front face of the step, coiled springs surrounding said pivot'and engaging the aforesaid arms to swing them through an angle of substantially 180 degrees, projections extending downwardly from each arm the projections being of different lengths, resilient triggers mounted on said support and adapted to engage the projections to hold and release the same, leaf supporting clips adapted to slide on said arms, and transparent, vertical leaf supporting standards carried by said arms and adapted to lie beneath a sheet and turn the same, when the carrying arm is released from its trigger.

2. A music leaf turner comprising a base block having a rabbeted front face forming a step at its lower end, leaf carrying arms pivotally mounted on said block on vertical pivots, said pivots mounted on the step to the rear of its front face, springs carried by saic pivots and acting on the arms to swing them through an angle of substantially 180 degrees, projections carried by said arms, resilient one piece triggers flexibly mounted in the base block and coacting with said projections to retain the arms in fixed positions and to release the same, a plurality of leaf holding clips slidably carried on the arms, and a plurality of transparent up standing spaced apart standards pivoted at their lower ends to the arms and adapted to lie beneath a sheet and turn the same when its carrying arm is swung to the left.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT JOHN BAILEY.

Witnesses CHAS. M. lvfoDnRMo'rr, l/fARY T. MoCUn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the (fommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

